55: Negotiation between the Queens

Negotiation between the Queens

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The entire palace was left in panic and shock as Lady Evin was carried out of the abandoned wing and carefully moved into one of the guest rooms. 

Lady Evin's body had gone cold; though she was alive, she remained unconscious. Small black dots had begun to surface on her pale skin. The physician was immediately summoned and was now checking the lady's condition. 

"How the hell did this even happen?!" Maxwell demanded of his sisters, with whom he had left Lady Evin only a few minutes ago. "Is someone going to answer me?" He snapped in rage, and the princesses cowered from where they stood. 

Princess Emily closed her eyes as her elder brother's voice rang loudly, reverberating off the walls. She answered, 

"King Maxwell, I tried to inform Lady Evin not to touch the rose, but neither she nor Niyasa heeded my warning."

"It wasn't me!" Princess Niyasa denied the claim. "I never told Lady Evin to touch it. I was standing far away from the dead garden, and th—"

Queen Maya slapped her daughter across her face for such impudent and reckless behaviour. Princess Niyasa's face turned twice as bright as usual while she stood shell-shocked. The young lady could feel her cheek turn hot. 

Queen Maya didn't stop glaring at her daughter and said, "Hasn't it already been ordered that no one, meaning not a single soul, is supposed to go near the Blackthorn rose, and there is a reason for that?!" 

"How could I have known something like this would happen?" Princess Niyasa said in a low voice, directing the blame away from herself and said, "One of the servants was also pricked by it, and it is a dead plant. It was probably because Lady Evin ate something or walked somewhere contaminated, which is why she fell sick in the first place! Do you think I would purposely take her there when it was her own idea?" 

"Niyasa," Maxwell called his sister's name, and she turned to look at him with a demure look now. He said, "Let us hope that nothing bad happens to her, or you will be punished for it as I left her in your care. Both you and Emily."

Princess Emily's mouth fell open, as she had truly done nothing to instigate or encourage the lady to touch the rose. But as this was the king  speaking, and the matter concerned his future wife, there was no room to argue, but only listen and obey. 

Princess Niyasa gritted her teeth and pursed her lips in frustration. She said to her mother, "The servant who was pricked—"

"If you don't keep quiet, God help me, Niyasa," Queen Maya shut her daughter's mouth. 

Lady Evin's parents were beside themselves with worry and fury. Her father questioned, "How could this happen to her? She looks so sick, and her chest barely rises when she breathes."

Maxwell turned to the Vizier and ordered, "Bring the servant who was previously pricked by the Blackthorn rose here immediately."

"Yes, Your Highness," the Vizier obliged the king's order and quickly stepped out of the room. Once he fetched the male servant, he brought him to where everyone was gathered, and he informed, "I have brought the servant you ordered, my King."

The servant was an elderly man whose body had shrivelled with the passage of time, leaving him with a hunched back. He offered a bow to the royal family members, not understanding why he was summoned here when he was sure that he hadn't done anything wrong. 

"Were you the one who was pricked by the Blackthorn rose?" Maxwell demanded in haste, desperate for answers. 

The old man raised his head to look at the furious king before nodding in confirmation. 

"Tell me what happened that day. I don't want you to leave out a single detail. Speak!" Maxwell glared because Evin's life hung by a thin thread. 

The old man's body shook, and he struggled to find his voice. His lips moved, and for the first two seconds, no words came out. Finally, he managed to say, "I—I, I was cleaning that day. I di—didn't know, and I went to touch the black rose because I had never seen anything like t—that before. But before I knew it, I felt it p—prick my finger. My King, I didn't mean to harm the plant!" 

"Did your finger bleed?" Maxwell questioned with his eyebrows deeply furrowed and his face contorted in a scowl. "Did it?" 

"It did. It was a single drop of blood," the old man quickly answered the king. 

"See, I told you," Princess Niyasa whispered to her older sister as if she was right. "It wasn't our fault."

Queen Maya said to her son, "I was present in the palace when this happened. He was indeed fine when he was pricked. I don't know why after all this time, its thorns have suddenly turned poisonous." 

"Something must have happened to cause it to change, Your Highness," the Vizier stated with a thoughtful expression. "There must be some sort of difference between when the last incident occurred and now. Does it have to do anything with gender? Maybe it affects women?"

"Then let us try to look for what went wrong. Bring a male servant to the abandoned side of the palace," King Maxwell ordered, ready to test the Vizier's theory. 

While the men left the room to carry out the order, Anastasia, who remained behind with the others, clenched her hands against the sides of her body. She couldn't believe that a single prick could result in a person's life hanging by a thread, and she had pricked her finger too. 

Anastasia's eyes moved to look at Lady Evin, whose lips had turned darker, and there was no sign of her waking up anytime soon. She heard Lady Evin's mother comment, 

"How could this happen to her? She was perfectly fine, and now, because of a single prick, she's unconscious. Queen Maya, why not have the poisonous plant cleared from the palace altogether?" 

Princess Emily quietly stared at Lady Evin's mother, contemplating her question. She had warned the lady's daughter, but she had impulsively rushed ahead. 

"It is a family plant, deeply rooted within our history, and cannot be removed or relocated," Queen Maya responded to the woman before assuring her, "We will make sure that she's healthy and back on her feet in no time."

"It looks like their wedding will have to wait until she recovers," Lady Evin's mother softly cried behind her hand while sitting beside her unconscious daughter. The physician, who was done checking the young woman, turned to Queen Maya and informed her, 

"My Queen." 

"Yes, Hakkim. Do you know if it is some kind of sickness?" Queen Maya questioned the physician, hoping it had nothing to do with the Blackthorn rose. 

"Pardon me… but I believe it is indeed the result of the poison from the plant," the physician told her, and the weight in her stomach plummeted to the ground. 

After several minutes, Anastasia heard footsteps approaching the room, and soon King Maxwell and the Vizier returned with the others trailing behind them. The Vizier held a deep frown while King Maxwell looked confused. 

"What happened to the male servant?" Queen Maya asked her son. 

"He died," King Maxwell replied with a grim look. "There is something different about the plant now. The dead stems near the ground are no longer dead, but they have become green." He turned to the physician and asked, "Can you find a solution to help her regain her consciousness?" 

"Forgive me, My King, but the effects of a prick from the Blackthorn rose lie beyond my expertise. It requires a specific antidote, and I think most of the knowledge on creating one has been lost," the physician answered with a bow. 

"What does this mean? Am I supposed to stand here and watch my daughter die?!" Lady Evin's father demanded. 

Queen Maya pursed her lips before she gritted her teeth, "I know one person who might have the antidote."

The Vizier ordered the nearby servants, "Prepare transportation immediately."

Accompanied by her two maids, Queen Maya headed to where the information on the antidote could be acquired. When she arrived at the destination, the old palace, Queen Maya stepped down and muttered under her breath, 

"I thought I wouldn't have to visit this place, but here I am."

As they entered the old palace, with its faded walls and scarce furniture, they were swiftly noticed by Aziel, who quickly ran to inform the Mother Queen of their presence, who was petting a cat on her lap whilst she drank a cup of cold tea with lemon squeezed into it.

"Mother Queen! Mother Queen!" Aziel shouted as he stepped inside the room. 

"Why are you shouting, Aziel?" The Mother Queen questioned him calmly, as she stirred the spoon. 

"Lady Maya, I mean Queen Maya is here!" Aziel replied in a hushed voice, placing his hand on his back. 

"Hm?" The Mother Queen's eyebrows rose in surprise. 

Not a moment later, Queen Maya stepped into the room with her two maids remaining outside, accompanied by the guards who had escorted her. 

"Mother Queen," Queen Maya offered a slight bow out of respect for the woman's age. She waited for the woman to greet her the same way in return, but instead, the older woman remarked, 

"Good evening, Queen… Maya. I would have stood up and offered you a warm welcome but as you see I have a cat on my lap, who only just fell asleep. It would be rude to disturb it, much like the way you evicted us out of the palace after my son's death," the Mother Queen smiled at the former concubine-turned-queen. 

A tight smile was plastered on Queen Maya's face as she had forgotten how much this older woman liked to taunt at every possible opportunity. She said, "I am glad that my Maxwell sent you to the old palace rather than completely cast you out of the family. Are you enjoying your time here?" Her eyes fell on the purring cat. "I made sure that the supply of the rations wouldn't fall short."

"I wouldn't be able to explain it in words; one would need to live here to know the joys or sorrows of this place," the Mother Queen said, raising her teacup and taking a sip from it. She called, "Aziel, why don't you tell the maid to bring the new Queen a cup of tea."

"Yes, milady," Aziel bowed and closed the door behind him when he left, knowing the two women wanted some time alone to speak in private. 

Taking a comfortable seat next to the Mother Queen, Queen Maya said, "I am here on some important business and would like your help."

"I don't think there's anything I can do for you when you have taken everything from me. But do ask," the Mother Queen wondered what was happening in the palace whilst she was confined here. 

"A situation has arisen in the palace," Queen Maya began, choosing her words carefully as she spoke, "Someone in the palace was pricked by the Blackthorn rose and the person has fallen sick. I am h—"2

"It must be one of the guests. Why wander where you are not supposed to? I doubt my grandchildren are stupid enough to touch it when they were warned about it. Unless… are they?" The Mother Queen asked in doubt, while her eyes narrowed as she pondered who the idiot could be. 

"It is one of the guests, an important one at that," Queen Maya said and then continued, "I need the antidote that I believe you have preserved all these years?" 

The Mother Queen stared at the woman, who still showcased the attributes of a concubine. She shook her head and replied, "I don't have it." She placed the teacup on the side table and stared back at the younger woman. 

"I know you have it. A person's life is in danger and if you don't give it to me, she might die."

"First of all, it must be some other sickness, because the thorns cannot cause a person to fall ill as the plant has been dead for a long time. Secondly, who is this rude person who ventured into the forbidden garden and was pricked by a thorn?" The Mother Queen raised her eyebrows. 

Queen Maya was well-aware that this older woman had the antidote to the poison in her possession but was only playing ignorant about it. Before Evin's health worsened, she had to bring the antidote to her. She explained, 

"The stem on the ground has turned green."

"That's impossible," the Mother Queen dismissed it. The last time she had seen it, it was dry and ready to snap. 

"The plant was checked and even though most of the plant is dead, along with the dead bloom, the stems near the ground have turned a little green. Which is the reason why Evin has fallen sick. Now if you could give me the antidote, it would save my son's fiancée," Queen Maya pleaded with urgency. She didn't want to use force, but if it came to it, she would have no other option when it came to retrieving the antidote. 

Queen Ginger's faint eyebrows slightly furrowed as she fell into thought. That was impossible, because the Blackthorn rose had been dead for years. Had something happened since she left the palace? 

"Mother Queen Ginger," Queen Maya called the woman's name softly, and the old woman hummed. 

"Yes, I am here. I was just thinking about what you said," the Mother Queen replied and then said, "The antidote is the last one, and so it is invaluable. What do I receive in return, Queen Maya?" 

"You get to continue to keep your title as the Mother Queen of Versailles. You get to stay in this quiet palace," Queen Maya smiled at the old woman. 

"But I have all that already, don't I?" 

"Which is why I said 'continue'. Where is the antidote? Maxwell is already enraged over what happened to his soulmate and you don't want to face his wrath, do you? He will turn every place upside down to find Evin an antidote," Queen Maya said in a low voice, "What is it that you want?" It was obvious there was something this woman wanted, and that she wouldn't hand it over without something in return.

The Mother Queen stared at the woman, who sat on the other chair, and a small smile formed on her lips, and she said, 

"In regards to the third decision that the king made on the day of his coronation, have it reversed so that all of us can go back to living in the royal palace. One life in exchange for every royal family member's return, hm?" 

"I hope that it was just tea that you were drinking, Mother Queen, because that isn't a reasonable exchange," Queen Maya replied sarcastically, incredulous that this old woman thought she would agree. "We are talking about one life, so maybe only one person can return."

"How about you take your time to reconsider the negotiation, and in that time, I will try to remember where or if I still have the antidote with me," the Mother Queen replied, stroking the sleeping cat's head. "To add to it, I will give you this cat as a gift."

Queen Maya stared at the older woman and said, 

"I knew you would be difficult about this, which is why here is the thing, Mother Queen. You can either hand over the antidote and return to the palace because of your great service to your king, which is your grandson, or you can deny having it in your possession and the guards will look everywhere before calling treason on Emily. After all, she was there when Evin got pricked by the thorn. So, what is it going to be?" 

"Don't you dare touch my grandchildren," the Mother Queen's eyes turned serious and gone was the relaxed expression on her face. "You can play all the little games you want, but don't you ever think of hurting them."

"The antidote," Queen Maya raised her hand forward, adding, "I don't want to play any games with you, Mother Queen. I only want good things for my children, and Maxwell is your grandchild, isn't he? You should understand his situation better than anyone, after all, you and your husband were each other's soulmates."

Queen Maya added, "You might not have killed the previous king, but I cannot guarantee that the killer isn't amongst us."

"I keep questioning myself if it was a ploy of yours to have us in the old palace," the Mother Queen's eyes narrowed, implying the murderer to be the woman sitting next to her. 

"Your imagination runs wild, Mother Queen," Queen Maya's lips twitched, and at the same time, Aziel returned with a maid, who brought tea and biscuits.

"Refreshments have arrived," Aziel informed the women sitting in the room. But Queen Maya wasn't interested in drinking tea, as she was done speaking about what she had come here for. Standing up from her seat, she said to the Mother Queen, "Thank you for your precious time, Mother Queen. I will send the men to fetch you or the antidote." She offered a bow before stepping out of the room and leaving the old palace. 

Aziel watched the new Queen leave, while the Mother Queen stood beside him, watching the palanquin disappear in the distance. He asked, 

"Is everything alright, my Queen?" 

The older woman took a deep breath before exhaling. She remarked, "I wish. Something is going on back in the palace, Aziel, and I am not sure if it is good or bad."

Confused, Aziel asked, "Why do you say that?" 

"It seems Maxwell's soulmate got pricked by the Blackthorn rose and has fallen ill. But that isn't all. Somehow, the Blackthorn rose is awakening from its slumber," the Mother Queen said of what she heard from the former concubine. 

Aziel's eyebrows rose, and he asked, "Does that mean the greenery will come back to Versailles?" 

"Mm," the old woman hummed in agreement, but a look of worry marred her wrinkled face.

There was a reason why most of the Blackthorn roses in Versailles had died or withered, leaving only one dormant in the palace. As it had trapped something many years ago, and its appearance reflected what it could do. 

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